Economy · Chart
South Africa’s main interest rate is almost double America’s and more than three times the euro area’s
7% South Africa · Highest
South Africa’s rate is 7.00%. The United States and the United Kingdom are at 3.75%, and the euro area is at 2.00%.
From our storiesThe Reserve Bank just raised rates. Here is why that was a difficult decisionRead the full story →
Method and sources
Each bar is a central bank's policy rate as at May 2026, as printed in the labels of the article's chart.
South Africa 7.00, United States 3.75, United Kingdom 3.75, Euro area 2.00.
The article's chart plots these rates from 2019; only the May 2026 level is printed for each, so only that level is charted here. The period is May 2026.
Sources: South African Reserve Bank, US Federal Reserve, Bank of England and European Central Bank, via the South African Reserve Bank (https://www.resbank.co.za/) The link is to one of the publishers, not the exact table.
Figures as published in our article on the May 2026 repo rate rise (chart last checked 14 September 2026): policy rates from the four central banks, as at May 2026.
Chart updated · 22 Oct 2026. The observation dates above describe the data, not today’s conditions.
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